A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 22

FAYE

I needed air.

Not because anything was wrong, but because the day felt too beautiful to waste indoors. The sun

was warm without being harsh, the breeze soft enough to brush my cheeks like a familiar hand.

So I decided to take a stroll, letting my feet carry me wherever they pleased. I wasn’t even thinking

about where I might end up–until the distant sound of voices drifted through the trees.

Shouts… commands. The rhythmic sound of feet hitting the ground in unison.

Training was going on.

I paused for a moment, listening, then followed the sound with quiet steps. And when I emerged

from the path that opened into the training grounds, I stopped dead in my tracks.

It was… beautiful.

There were young wolves–definitely in their early teens–sparring, running drills, moving with the kind of focus that came only from real discipline. But that wasn’t the part that stunned me.

Alexander was leading the session.

Personally.

Since coming to Blood Crescent, I had seen him at the training grounds before, but only briefly–he would show up, observe, make a comment or two, and leave Cole and Kyle to handle the bulk of the instruction. The Alpha did not often train the younger warriors himself.

But today he was right in the middle of them, shirt tossed to the side, muscles flexing and relaxing as he demonstrated forms and corrected stances. The sun caught the sheen of sweat on his back,

and for a moment I forgot to breathe.

Still not the strangest part.

Male and female wolves were training together.

My eyebrows lifted on their own. That didn’t happen here. Ever. Blood Crescent had always been very traditional about these things–separate sessions, separate expectations, separate everything. The males were pushed harder, given more time and attention. The females were trained, yes, but not with the same urgency.

But today? They moved together, learned together, pushed each other.

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And they all looked… proud.

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I didn’t want to interrupt, so I slipped quietly to one of the benches at the edge of the field and sat

down, folding my hands in my lap as I watched.

It felt like witnessing history.

Some of the trainees noticed me and straightened a little, probably surprised to see their Luna watching them, but Alexander didn’t pause. His voice carried across the field–firm, powerful,

patient.

“Lower your stance, Aria. Good. Again–don’t rush the form.”

He turned slightly, and the moment his eyes landed on me, his expression softened into a small, warm smile. It tugged at something deep in me. But he didn’t approach, didn’t break from the session. He only dipped his head in acknowledgment before returning to the young wolves.

That alone made me smile.

He looked… at peace. Confident. Happy, even. And I was suddenly glad I had come out this morning. Glad I could witness this side of him.

When the trainees finally began to look tired… some bending over with hands on their knees, others huffing out breaths like they’d carried boulders uphill… Alexander clapped his hands once.

“That’s enough for today.”

Some groaned in protest, others sighed in relief, but all of them nodded.

“Tomorrow, same time,” Alexander added, his voice gentler now. “Rest well.”

They bowed and dispersed quickly, some waving my way before heading off. And then–finally- Alexander approached me.

He walked with an easy confidence, wiping his face with the towel someone handed him as he drew near. His hair was damp, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths, and I told myself not to stare. You would think I’d be used to him by now.

I stared anyway.

“Hey,” he said as he reached me, amusement coating his voice.

“You’re training them yourself,” I said.

“That surprises you?” he asked, raising a brow.

“A little,” I admitted. “You usually supervise and disappear. This…” I gestured at the empty field, still buzzing with the energy of the training session. “This is new.”

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He tilted his head, watching me with interest. “Did you enjoy the view?”

“Maybe a little too much, I murmured before I could stop myself.

His eyes darkened instantly.

And that was when I realized–too late–that I was nibbling on my bottom lip.

“Faye,” he said quietly.

I blinked. “What?”

“Don’t do that.”

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I frowned for a second, confused… until he pointed, very subtly, at my mouth. My cheeks warmed.

Oh…

Well–I decided to tease him a little.

I lifted my chin and said in the most innocent voice I could muster, “Doing what?”

His jaw flexed… just slightly. But I caught it.

He stepped closer.

His height towered over me with me sitting down, and when he braced one hand on the bench beside my leg and leaned in, my breath caught. He used his free hand to gently tilt my face up to

his.

His eyes dragged over my lips before meeting my gaze.

“You don’t have enough strength,” he murmured, voice low and smooth, “to handle the consequences of playing with me like that.”

My entire body heated at once.

I knew he was right. And that somehow made it worse.

But before the world could completely melt around me, he broke the spell–leaning down to press

a soft kiss to my forehead before pulling back and sitting beside me.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and laughed, rolling my eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re cute,” he replied simply.

I nudged him lightly. “Am I?”

His mouth twitched, but he didn’t answer.

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Chapter 221

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I shifted the conversation before my brain turned to mush. “So… male and female wolves training

together now?”

He shrugged, leaning back slightly. “It was overdue. Something worth improving.”

“You think it’ll stick?”

“It needs to.” He glanced down at my stomach, his voice turning thoughtful. “I’m going to be a father. And whether it’s a boy or a girl, I want our child to become an incredible warrior–just like

their father.”

I gasped dramatically, hand flying to my chest. “You mean just like their mother.”

“Hm…” He pretended to think seriously for a moment–then shook his head. “No.”

I shoved him lightly. “Unbelievable!”

He laughed, catching the side of my hand with his own as if to keep me from hitting him again. The sound softened something in me.

When the laughter died down, he looked at me more closely. “You look better. How do you feel?”

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